Patent joy for software firm

Sheffield and Silicon Valley-based software developer WANdisco is celebrating securing a US patent for its innovative technology.

WANdisco’s products are used by blue chip corporates around the world to ensure software developers in different offices are always working on the latest version of the business’s bespoke systems.

The US patent acknowledges the unique nature of WANdisco’s technology and has been hailed by the company’s Sheffield-based co-founder and chief executive, David Richards, as “a breakthrough in the field of data replication.”

“We believe this patent is far reaching and will change storage area networks and their application,” said Mr Richards, whose company is planning to expand the use of its products into what is known as the Big Data market.

Big Data applications involve collections of data that are so large that they are difficult to store and manipulate locally on desktop computers and include analysing economic trends, combating disease and crime, predicting the weather and complex problems in physics.